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Sunday, April 19, 2015

The long big worm-like
machine was amazing with lot of windows, doors and many people in it. Dipanshu
was awestruck by the colossal worm-like machine. There were many other similar
worms lined up on different railway tracks at designated platforms with full of
people in it, smoking, reading, sipping tea, coffee, soups. Dipanshu went into
reminiscence, what he and his friends had done with that little greenish worm
they had found in the school garden. It was really fun to pick up the worm with
a long stick and the way the poor worm tried to wriggle out of their trap. But
this is not a worm, this is something what his Dad and people around call - a
train. It was really incredible, God knows how does it carry so many people in
it?

Dipanshu hurriedly
walked along with his Dad and Mom making way through the crowd towards the long
big worm. He saw many people rushing to the platform. The crowd jostled him
into the coach. It was Dipanshu's first journey in a train. He was so excited
since his parents broke the news to him that he will spend a brief vacation at
his aunt's house this time. For Dipanshu, this was going to be one of the most
memorable summer of his life. The train inside resembled a small cozy home; he
grinned and settled near the window tapping his feet.

Finally, Dipanshu
heard someone blow the whistle and the train with a sudden jerk slowly pulled
out of the station. The people in the train bid adieu to their relatives and
friends on the platform who have come to see them off. Like all the children in
the world Dipanshu too was talkative. Within a short span of time he became the
blue-eyed boy in the bogie. He was enjoying the new-found attention and the
experience of the jerky journey. Trees, bushes, farms, villages, and rail-way
crossings flashed past his window. As time passed, gradually the initial
excitement was gone. There was no other child to play with him. He looked
through the window, bored and quite tired with the world inside the train.

But for Dipanshu life
was not meant to be bored, he found his new play mate among the trees and
sometimes behind the small hills. It moved, skipped and jumped high and low, oh
my God, Dipanshu realized that the round faced orange-colored Sun was best at
its tricks. It was playing bo-peep with him. It was luring and slowly Dipanshu
started playing with his friend, whom he called - "Hey Sunny". He
liked playing with Sunny because it was different from his friends. This
red-yellowish round faced companion always came out from its hiding and took
chance to be caught again and again by Dipanshu. And he loved winning all the
time. There was no need to run here and there, he just needed to peep through
both the windows simultaneously jumping from one seat to the opposite seat.

The green fields,
trees, bushes, valleys, and the rivers they crossed all added more fun and
frolic to their game. Slowly, the game became more intense and interesting
until Dipanshu's Dad and Mom intervened. He was becoming a nuisance to the
world of adults. He was pulled away from the window by his Dad thus putting an
end to his wonderful game. But Sunny continued to play bo-peep unaware of the
happenings.

Dipanshu was guided
to the washbasin to wash his face and hands by his Dad. A cool wind was blowing
through the open iron door of the moving long big worm-like machine. Dipanshu's
eyes were frantically looking to catch a glimpse of Sunny while his face was
being wiped by his Dad. There, behind the small bald hill Sunny appeared
cheerful, Dipanshu with a lightning speed freed himself from the hold of his
Dad and rushed near the door.

There was a sudden
jerk... blood splattered over the rails and on the tracks...people shouted,
screamed, wailed.... someone pulled the chain.... the long big worm-like
machine came to a halt...

The train slowly
pushed itself forward after someone blew a whistle and soon it gathered the
speed of the wind. The round-faced beaming Sunny appeared from nowhere in
search of a new little friend to continue to play bo-peep and say
"Peekaboo!", to create their paradise where no one dares to
intervene...

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Barefoot To Goa is a story of two siblings Prakhar and
Dia who dares to cross the lakshman rekha (Boundaries) of the fast-paced,
self-centered and indifferent world of adults to fetch their ailing grandmother
from Goa. Their journey is a canvas of life revealing the contrast between the
urban and rural, the city-lights and the starry nights of the villages, the way
people behave, deal with each other and their outlook towards life and things
around them.

A school project on Grandmother becomes the platform to
convey a beautiful message to the world who talks and lives on instant
connectivity.

Why the siblings have to run away from home, what are the
hardships they endure during their journey and what awaits them in Goa is worth
watching in the theatre. Barefoot to Goa is the first ever commercially
released movie by 238 'Proud Funders' from fifteen countries.

Mathru Devo Bhavah, Pithru Devo Bhavah, Aacharya Devo
Bhavah and Athiti Devo Bhavah (Mother, Father, Teacher & the Guest are akin
to God) are the age old teachings that the holi vedas gave us to follow. The
movie Barefoot To Goa is a reminder for us that it is relationships and its
values that make our life happy.

Praveen Morchhale is successful in presenting an
unpretentious movie to the viewers cutting off the melodrama we are overly fed
with these days every friday.

The very first frame of the movie sets the tone of the
movie - Dadi (Farrukh Jaffar) lovingly making laddoo for her grandchildren and
Yesudas's lullaby and its lyrics moves you to tears.

Dadi locking the door, her walking hurriedly through the
coconut grove and amidst the banyan trees, passing by the village well, waiting
all alone at the bus stop, stopping intermittently to catch her breath,
incessantly coughing all the way to the typist office and her painful silence
speaks a lot - her loneliness, helplessness, longing for her children and
grandchildren, her hope, undeterred belief, values...

The camera that captures the minute details of the
happenings are truly commendable - the tattered diary of Dadi having her baby son's
black and white photo pasted on it, the school emblem displayed on the school
uniform and the same displayed on the Dia's school notebook etc. Dia and her brother are so convincing! Dia's courage and confidence inspires. Her brother's carelessness finds me sharing the same page with him. His love and commitment towards his sister tags him to fulfill Dia's mission to bring their Dadi back. Their fights, disagreements, dilemmas, fear of not accomplishing their mission, playful acts are so beautifully depicted that it makes one indulge in reminiscence. There are some heart-piercing questions that Dia asks to her brother -"Tu Dadi ko marne dega kya"? Dia's guilt of freeing the birds from the scooterist basket who helped them in the journey are some moments that urges us to follow the dictates of conscience.

The scenic beauty of the road journey is captivating!

The movie has a very good intention with a strong social
message but in the process it takes, may be, an unintentional bias towards
portraying the cultural and values divide between the urban and the rural lot. The
rural folks are more compassionate, caring, selfless and the city people are
portrayed as self-centered, unethical, corrupt. The movie could have been less
comparative in this regard and could have depicted the goodness and vices in both - the urban and the
rural.

Another aspect that is quiet debatable is the adventurous
road trip pursued by the siblings and their encounter with only good Samaritans
all the way up to Goa. It may be either the over-protective approach of the
filmmaker towards his characters that make him parade a beeline of good people
with large heart or it may be sheer luck for the two small angels barefoot to
Goa.

The film had the room for more exploration and
experimentation based on the beautiful theme; nonetheless, Praveen Morchhales'
film truly deserves accolades for its good intentions.

Barefoot To Goa is a must watch for all those who value
relationships and who have enjoyed or missed their parents "Bahon ka
jhoola and loriya gaake tappkiya dena". It is undoubtedly a beautiful
movie with a beautiful heart.

When you leave the movie hall, you leave with the first and
the last sentences of Dadi's letter in your heart- "Priya beta Manoj, Aashirwad!"
and " Tumhaari Maa".

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Oru Vadakkan Selfie is a story of a carefree,
happy-go-lucky young engineering student Umesh (Nivin Pauly) who is infamous
for failing in a row in his studies and having the burden of clearing 42
subjects from his three-year stint in his college.

Umesh picking up on the idea shared with him by his
college buddy Shaji (Aju Varughese) and friend Thankaprasad aka Thankamma, a tenth
class drop-out (Neeraj Madhav) who is a bus conductor decides to make a
short-film believing that it may fetch him luck, fame, money, and one day help
him to work with Gautam Vasudev Menon, the noted film maker.

What happens to his attempt to make a short film, how
does a beautiful new neighbor Daisy
(Manjima Mohan) and a selfie turns his life topsy turvy add spice to the
storyline.

Oru Vadakkan Selfie also showcases how the social media
has invaded the privacy of the generation X and how gullible social-media
enthusiasts falls prey to people who have vested interest to fulfill. Vineeth
Sreenivasan dons multiple hats on and off screen as an actor (Detective Jack in
the movie), writer, lyricist and a singer.

Off late, it is observed that the Malayalam film makers
have become obsessed with the concept of force fitting the vices of the social
media into every second movie they come
up with. Oru Vadakkan Selfie also has to deliver a long sermon on the flipside
of social media - fake names, fake financial transfers, proxy servers, falling
in love with people unknown etc. There is nothing wrong in it but then every
week if you are dished out the same recipe with a new banner, cast and actors
it becomes an over dose to the viewers.

The movie begins with the story of Umesh (Nivin Pauly)
and later on meanders into many other sub plots (Harinarayan's (Diasy's
boyfriend) diaapearance, land grabbing by a Gounder in Pallani, CID handling a
case of economic offence and impersonation, suicide, marital dischord) and ends up as the story of Diasy (Manjima
Mohan) and her miseries in life.

Umesh, an Engineering student is known for his history of
failing in 42 subjects in a row and for his street smart attitude to arrange
question papers from his sources before the exams. Nivin Pauly is good as an
irresponsible son and an aimless youth surrounded by equally dumb and
happy-go-lucky friends.

The movie does have a lot of funny moments like: when
Umesh asks his college mates "I have a doubt since my childhood, may I ask?
What is theta?"; the one-liners 'Maranamass and the 'Kolamass' of Shaji
(Aju Varughese); dialogues mentioning their fathers "ithu polorennum entte
veetillum undu" (I too have one such piece in my home as well); greeting
friends by saying "Enthelaa"; Dollar Harita etc.

Aju Varughese is definitely the centre of all hilarious
moments but then it seems he has become the replica of Suraj Venjaramoodu and
has nothing distinct of his own to offer. Manjima Mohan as the hapless lass
emotes less and could have been better.

Vineet Srineevasan as Jack the Tracker tries hard to play
this not-so-realistic character. If he had spent more time to track where the
story line is going he would have either shelved it or would have definitely
come up with a better version of Oru Vadakkan Selfie.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is a film based on the Bengali writer Saradindu
Bandopadhyay's iconic detective series, which was also screened as a television
series from 1993 to 1997 on DD National. The story is about a student approached by his
fellow classmate to investigate the disappearance of his father. The student turned
sleuth Byomkesh Bakshy on his first case embarks on a thrilling investigation
that turns out to be lethal and haunting day by day. This story is set up in
the backdrop of 1942 Calcutta ruled by Britishers in India.

The disappearance of Bhuvan Babu leads to a series of dots which needs to
be connected to reach the real villain of the story and how Byomkesh does it
with his distinct style of investigation is something to watch in the theatres.
Murder, suspicion, treachery, conspiracy, nationalism, and revenge awaits
you...

What happens to Byomkesh and his case, who is the actual murderer of
Bhuvan, what is the connection between
the Japanese and the Indian Nationalists ... I am sure you would love to watch
on screen :)

Reviewer's Thumb Mark:

Byomkesh Bakshi, the ace Bengali detective from the 1993-1997 DD National
TV Series has been bottled and labeled with a different flavour by Dibaker
Banerjee by naming him Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (with a 'Y' instead of an
'i" and an exclamatory mark'!'that evokes more suspense and curiosity in
store for the viewers). Amid air
raids and the impending warnings of attacks of the Japanese bombings over
Calcutta in World War II era the story of a student turned detective steps on a
journey of unraveling the secrets of
rivalry between two-drug dealers (Shangai's Green Gang and Yang Guan) for supremacy entangled amidst a political movement
against the Britishers in India. Never did Byomkesh imagine that he would
stumble upon a minefield of dangerous and fatal happenings by taking up the job
of a fellow-student Ajit's father Bhuvan's missing case, that too reluctantly.

Neatly crafted by Dibaker Banerjee
(Director) and Nikos Andritsakis
(cinematographer) makes you sit with eyes glued on the screen not to miss the
sequence of mystery unraveling added with thrill that pushes you to the edge of
the seat wanting more. The Calcutta of
40's is so beautifully depicted that one can't resist appreciating the work of
the film maker in this regard. The cars, trams, billboards, the ramshackle
buildings and the streets are a delight to watch.

In the pursuit of including too many aspects of what was happening then,
the film portrays many subplots that make the viewers hard to focus with ease. The
sequence are missed in the mind and before we could recollect and link, its
time to lose another link and therefore leaves room to drift and lose track of
the story.

The Villain Yang Guan (Neeraj Kabi) stands apart with his performance
especially when he is unmasked by Byomkesh by his logical sequencing of story
narration connecting the dots in front of Sukumar, Dr.Watanabe, Satyawati (Divya Menon),
Actress Angoori (Swastika Mukherjee) and Ajit. Yang Guan saying "Sach ke
rang dekha hi? ... Laal" makes him look more dreadful when he fearlessly mocks
Byomkesh. Meiyang Chang as Kanai Dao, a licensed opium merchant, is noticeable
for his short but good performance.

Shushant Singh Rajput as the young Bengali sleuth, Byomkesh Bakshy,
definitely manages to create an impact by fitting into the character so well by
his acting. "Sach ke aas pass wala jhoot pakadna mushkil hota hi",
and it truly seems to be when the sleuth is found to be caught in a maze
difficult to come out off. I must say that Sushant handles the pivotal role with
great ease.

Divya Menon as Satyawati has nothing much to offer on screen rather she
is an ornamental character whom the sleuth asks to be with for the rest of his
life in exchange for saving her brother Sukumar's life. Swastika Mukherjee as a
seductress adds steam and twist to the plot with her presence in the middle of
all the happenings.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! definitely deserves a onetime watch. It
definitely may not appeal to some who want to watch movies with a straight and
simplistic narration. It may also dishearten die-hard fans of the original
Byomkesh Bakshi created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay because of Dibaker Banerjee taking liberty to fiddle with
the character to make appealing to his story line.

When the screen roles with the end titles, the dialogue - "Bakshi
Babu Mere Dosti Nahi Lepaye Tho Mere Dushmani Kaise Le Paavonge...", remains
there in our mind leaving us to speculate a comeback of Bakshi and Yang Guan in
a sequel to settle scores with each other.